Wondo one to watch as Quakes come to town

San Jose's Chris Wondolowski has certainly become a household name in Major League Soccer.

After earning a reputation as a clinical finisher with 18 goals and
the Budweiser Golden Boot in 2010, the forward has seen his stock rise
on both the domestic and international level. The
feisty striker has shown signs of starting a hot streak in the
Earthquakes’ last two games, running his total to 10 goals on the season
after scoring in each match.

Though those around the league have taken notice in the past two
years, the Houston Dynamo are very familiar with their former forward’s
ability.

“We all know that he’s a good finisher,” said head coach Dominic
Kinnear. “He’s always in the box and moving, which is the key to him
scoring goals.”

Wondolowski was a top scorer for the Dynamo reserves but was not able
to take full advantage as a starter in early 2009. Eventually he was
traded to San Jose for Cam Weaver.

The trade has not diminished Houston’s familiarity with Wondolowski. Dynamo defenders are mindful of Wondolowski's ability in
front of the net and know that if they are going to take care of
business at home on Saturday night, stopping the crafty forward is at the top of the list of defensive priorities.

“You always have to know where he is, because he a finisher; he’s
dangerous,” said Corey Ashe, who spent two-and-a-half years in Houston
with Wondolowski. "If he’s anywhere around that box and your head’s
not on a swivel, he’s going to find that ball.”

Wondolowski may be San Jose's leader in the attack — he's just a goal
away from tying Landon Donovan for second place on San Jose’s all-time
scoring list — but Houston is also wary of the cast of players around
him, even with the Earthquakes having seven players on the injured list,
which includes Steven Lenhart and Andre Luiz.

Supporting Wondolowski will be the dangerous Simon Dawkins — No. 21 on
MLSsoccer.com’s 24 Under 24 list — as well as Khari Stephenson and
Ramiro Corrales.

“They’re talented, so we have to keep the ball and stay organized,”
Ashe said. “We’ve done well in communication … and knowing where players
are. I will say we can’t take things for granted and have to play well
to get a shutout.”

Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on twitter at @Dynamoexaminer.